What to do when a First Citizens account holder dies
Contact First Citizens's Trust & Fiduciary Services / Wealth Management — 4-step process, 6 required documents, and pod beneficiaries can typically access funds within days of providing a death certificate and id. probate estates vary by state and court processing times.
Customer Care Center (FC Direct)
First Citizens Bank, FC Direct/Customer Engagement Center DAC 54, P.O. Box 27131, Raleigh, NC 27611-7131
Trust & Fiduciary Services / Wealth Management
Death Claims / Estate Settlement
First Citizens Bank, FC Direct/Customer Engagement Center DAC 54, P.O. Box 27131, Raleigh, NC 27611-7131
What happens to First Citizens accounts after the account holder dies depends on how each account was titled. Beneficiary-designated and trust-owned accounts transfer directly. Accounts in the deceased's name alone go through the estate, and the executor or administrator works with First Citizens's Death Claims / Estate Settlement (1-888-323-4732) to claim the funds.
First Citizens provides an online portal for initiating death claims, which can simplify the initial notification and document submission process. Claims can also be started by phone or by mailing the required documents.
Deposit, investment & retirement accounts
Here is the step-by-step death claim process at First Citizens:
Filing a claim
- POD accounts: the named beneficiary provides government-issued ID and a certified death certificate to claim funds.
- Non-POD accounts: the executor or administrator provides Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration from the probate court.
- Trust-owned accounts: the successor trustee provides the trust document, a certified death certificate, and trustee identification.
- Coordinates the valuation and distribution of assets.
- Preparation of estate, fiduciary, and personal income tax returns as needed.
- Assets are distributed per beneficiary designations, trust terms, or estate instructions.
Required Documents
- Certified death certificate
- Government-issued ID for beneficiary, executor, or successor trustee
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (for probate estates)
- Trust document and trustee identification (for trust-owned accounts)
- Small estate affidavit (if applicable under state law)
- IRA beneficiary claim form (for retirement accounts)
What to know at this institution
Per the "Death or Incompetence" clause of the First Citizens Deposit Account Agreement (form 31-933409, https://www.firstcitizens.com/content/dam/firstcitizens/pdfs/hosted/personal/deposit-account-agreement.pdf): neither death nor an adjudication of incompetency revokes the bank's authority to accept, pay, or collect items until the bank knows of the death and has had a reasonable opportunity to act; even with knowledge of the death, the bank may for ten (10) days after the date of death continue to pay checks drawn on or before the date of death unless a person claiming an interest in the account orders a stop payment. On the death of an owner the bank may delay disbursement until it receives the documentation it reasonably requires or that the law requires, and it may honor instructions from a court-appointed fiduciary from a state other than the state where it deems the account to be located. The same Agreement sets the account-type mechanics survivors run into: a "without survivorship" joint account is owned by the surviving co-owners AND the decedent's estate, and the bank may require withdrawals signed by both the surviving owners and the estate's legal representative, or pay the balance into court; a North Carolina personal agency account (N.C.G.S. 53C-6-8) and a Florida/Texas convenience account pay the balance to the legal representative of the estate or to the Clerk of Superior Court on the owner's death; and with multiple POD beneficiaries the bank may pay in equal shares by separate checks or by one check payable to all of them. The bank has no obligation to notify a POD beneficiary that the account exists. First Citizens can also serve as corporate executor or trustee, with an estate settlement team that files court documents (inventory and accounting), oversees collection, valuation and distribution of assets, sells or distributes personal property and real estate, pays remaining debts, taxes and expenses, cancels credit cards, subscriptions and utilities, files insurance and annuity claims, and coordinates estate, fiduciary and personal income tax returns (https://www.firstcitizens.com/wealth/trust-fiduciary-services). Wealth Client Support: 855-329-3258 (Monday-Friday 8am-5pm ET). Institutional Trust Services: 877-685-0576. Investor and Brokerage Services (FCIS): 800-229-0205. CIT Bank accounts: 855-462-2652. Silicon Valley Bank is a division of First Citizens Bank.
Mortgage and home lending
Mortgages and home equity loans are liabilities, not assets. They do not have beneficiaries and cannot be retitled to a trust. When a borrower dies, the loan obligation transfers with the property to whoever inherits it. Under the federal Garn-St. Germain Act, the lender cannot accelerate the loan or call it due when the property transfers to a surviving spouse, child, or the borrower’s revocable trust.
- Deceased borrower's full legal name, Social Security number, and loan number.
- Certified copy of the death certificate.
- Successor in Interest application with documentation proving your ownership interest in the property (e.g., probated will, court order, deed, or trust document).
- Continue making payments.
- Apply for loss mitigation.
- Assume the loan, refinance, or pay off the balance.
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Government-issued photo ID for the heir or personal representative
- Documentation proving ownership interest in the property (probated will, court order, recorded deed, or trust document)
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (if going through probate)
- Marriage certificate (if surviving spouse)
- Trust document showing successor trustee or beneficiary (if applicable)
Claims Contact
Phone: 800-845-3161
What to know at this institution
Under the federal Garn-St. Germain Depository Institutions Act (12 U.S.C. 1701j-3), First Citizens cannot enforce a due-on-sale clause when the property transfers to a surviving spouse, child, relative upon death, or the borrower's revocable living trust. Confirmed Successors in Interest are treated as borrowers under CFPB mortgage servicing rules and are entitled to account information and loss mitigation options. Mortgage Customer Service: 800-845-3161 (Monday-Friday 8:30am-8pm ET), listed at https://www.firstcitizens.com/support/call-us/personal. General customer service: 888-323-4732.
Prepare your letter of instruction to First Citizens
First Citizens accepts a claimant-drafted letter of instruction. We draft it for you — addressed to First Citizens's verified claims department, with the documents it requires enclosed.
Build your letter of instructionOpening an account for the estate itself
Checks made out to the estate deposit into an account titled to the estate, opened by the appointed executor or administrator under the estate's EIN.
How to open an estate account at First Citizens →Expected timelines at First Citizens: POD beneficiaries can typically access funds within days of providing a death certificate and ID. Probate estates vary by state and court processing times. Delays are almost always caused by incomplete paperwork—gathering all required documents before filing the initial claim helps avoid back-and-forth.
First Citizens requires several documents to process a claim, including Certified death certificate, Government-issued ID for beneficiary, executor, or successor trustee, and Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (for probate estates), and additional documentation depending on the account type. Certified copies are typically needed—photocopies are generally not accepted for death certificates or court documents.
Frequently asked questions
A POD (payable on death) or statutory revocable trust designation lets you name beneficiaries on a First Citizens deposit account. Per the Deposit Account Agreement (form 31-933409, https://www.firstcitizens.com/content/dam/firstcitizens/pdfs/hosted/personal/deposit-account-agreement.pdf), you keep total ownership and control during your lifetime, including the right to change beneficiaries, and the funds pass outside probate at your death. Two First Citizens-specific mechanics matter: with multiple beneficiaries, the bank may pay in equal shares by separate checks OR issue a single check payable to all of them and hand it to any one; and the surviving beneficiaries hold the balance as joint tenants WITHOUT right of survivorship unless state law says otherwise. In some states First Citizens may restrict POD payees to natural persons and limited entities such as trusts or non-profits, and it has no obligation to notify a beneficiary that the account exists -- so tell your beneficiaries yourself.
Under the "Death or Incompetence" clause of the First Citizens Deposit Account Agreement, death does not revoke the bank's authority to accept, pay, or collect items until First Citizens knows of the death and has had a reasonable opportunity to act. Even after it is notified, the bank may for ten (10) days after the date of death keep paying checks the decedent drew on or before the date of death -- unless a person claiming an interest in the account orders a stop payment. Once a death is reported, First Citizens may hold disbursements until it receives the documentation it reasonably requires. Call FC Direct at 888-323-4732 to report the death, place stop payments on checks that should not clear, and redirect recurring direct deposits and auto-debits.
It depends on how the joint account was opened. Joint deposit accounts opened ONLINE can only be "with survivorship," so the balance goes to the surviving co-owners. Accounts opened in a branch or by phone can be "with," "without," or "no" survivorship. On a "without" or "no" survivorship account, the Deposit Account Agreement says the account is owned by the surviving co-owners AND the decedent's estate: First Citizens may require withdrawals to carry the signatures of both the surviving owners and the estate's legal representative, may pay the entire balance into court for distribution, or may pay it to the survivors and the estate together. North Carolina personal agency accounts and Florida/Texas convenience accounts are different again -- on the owner's death the balance is paid to the legal representative of the estate or to the Clerk of Superior Court.
First Citizens routes estate matters by product, not to a single bereavement desk. Deposit accounts: FC Direct 888-323-4732 (Monday-Friday 8am-9pm ET, Saturday-Sunday 8am-8pm ET). Mortgage, HELOC, or home equity loan: Mortgage Customer Service 800-845-3161 -- ask to be confirmed as a Successor in Interest, which under the federal Garn-St. Germain Act (12 U.S.C. 1701j-3) also blocks a due-on-sale call when the home passes to a spouse, child, relative, or the borrower's revocable trust. Brokerage through First Citizens Investor Services: 800-229-0205. Wealth, trust, and estate settlement: Wealth Client Support 855-329-3258; Institutional Trust Services 877-685-0576. CIT Bank deposits (CIT is a division of First Citizens Bank, still serviced under its own brand): 855-462-2652. Silicon Valley Bank is likewise a division of First Citizens Bank. Documents can be mailed to First Citizens Bank, FC Direct/Customer Engagement Center DAC 54, P.O. Box 27131, Raleigh, NC 27611-7131.
First Citizens's Death Claims / Estate Settlement can be reached by phone at 1-888-323-4732 for questions throughout the claims process.
When the deceased had multiple First Citizens accounts, some may need separate claims while others can be handled together. The Death Claims / Estate Settlement can clarify what's needed for each account type.
Sources
Data sourced from First Citizens primary sources (25 pages reviewed). How we research.
Customer Care Center (FC Direct)
First Citizens Bank, FC Direct/Customer Engagement Center DAC 54, P.O. Box 27131, Raleigh, NC 27611-7131
Trust & Fiduciary Services / Wealth Management
Death Claims / Estate Settlement
First Citizens Bank, FC Direct/Customer Engagement Center DAC 54, P.O. Box 27131, Raleigh, NC 27611-7131
Estate planning articles
Learn how to protect your First Citizens accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.
Is this your situation?
Get a complete guide for your specific circumstances.
More tools for handling this estate
Calculators and checklists for executors and trustees.
How Much Does Probate Cost?
Estimate attorney fees, executor fees, court costs, and timeline for probating an estate in your state. See if the estate qualifies for simplified probate procedures.
How Much Can an Executor Charge?
Calculate how much an executor (personal representative) can charge for administering an estate. See if your state has statutory fees or uses reasonable compensation.
Who Inherits Without a Will?
Find out who inherits your estate and how much they get if you die without a will. Based on your state's intestate succession laws.
What's Fair Trustee Compensation?
Find out what's fair compensation for serving as trustee. Compare family, professional, and corporate trustee rates based on your situation.
How Much Are Estate & Inheritance Taxes?
Calculate federal estate tax, state estate tax (12 states + DC), and inheritance tax (5 states) for an estate or trust.
How Many Death Certificates Do I Need?
Calculate how many certified death certificates you need based on the assets and accounts you need to close. See state-specific ordering information.
